Van Eyck 1: The Works

Van Eycks 1: The Works 
Monday 23 November at 6:00pm 

This autumn the National Gallery in London is staging a remarkable exhibition of the work of Jan van Eyck, which it claims will bring together ‘all nine of the artist’s painted portraits’. There are, however, more portraits that will not be included. In at least three of his religious commissions there are entirely lifelike images of the patrons, and these include, most famously, the donors of his masterwork, the Ghent Altarpiece. As a result, so that we can discover all of van Eyck’s portraits, and to put them into the context of his career as a whole, over the course of two lectures we will look at all of his known paintings. 

The first talk will look at the wide range of the artist’s religious works, the most famous of which is, of course, The Ghent Altarpiece itself. Others focus on the Virgin Mary, ranging from meditations on her life and her interactions with her son, Jesus, to her relationship with the Church itself. There are also carefully realised representations of Saints, either on their own, or in groupings relevant to the donors who are also depicted as if present alongside the holy figures. These are the portraits which cannot make their way to the National Gallery. 

Please remember, I do not record my talks.